The best tech of CES 2019

Like every January, Mashable’s Tech Team came to Las Vegas for CES to preview what’s coming in the world of consumer tech, and boy were there a lot of shiny new gadgets to see.

8K TVs dominated the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor, laptops got interesting again (remember how they were supposed go extinct a few years ago?), and VR saw a much-needed revival.

So much of what’s shown at CES is often conceptual and might never see commercial release. But that’s OK, because that’s what pushes innovations forward. We need crazy dreamers with wild, forward-looking ideas. Without them, tech would be pretty darn boring every year.

Luckily, CES 2019 was anything but dull, and we had lots to choose from to assemble our list of Mashable's top picks of CES 2019. We'll continue to update the list throughout the show, so be sure to check back for new additions.

TVs and Displays

Samsung 75-inch Micro LED 4K TV

Every tech company at CES seems to have an 8K TV of some sort. Samsung’s got some too, but its 75-inch Micro LED 4K TV is far more interesting because it’s modular. With a few twists, the Micro LED TV can be made larger by adding modular panels of, well, LEDs. Such a design is pricey, but it lets you create a TV of virtually any size, resolution, and aspect ratio for your space.

LG Signature OLED TV R

The R in LG Signature’s OLED TV R stands for rollable — as in this 65-inch TV furls up into its aluminum base when not in use. The bendy TV was first teased at CES 2018, but this year you can actually buy it. With gorgeous color and deep blacks, a display that's just 3mm thick, and of course the rollable design, LG’s TV is easily one of the coolest things at CES.

Samsung Space Monitor

There’s nothing flashy about Samsung’s Space monitor. However, as anyone who works with a small working space knows, a monitor can hog up quite a bit of desk surface area. That’s why Samsung’s Space monitor is so genius. It’s designed for small work spaces and props up elegantly against a wall and extends downwards on your desk. The Space monitor’s thoughtful in a way every computer monitor isn’t.

LG 'Massive Curve of Nature'

LG. Did. It. Again. While not something you can buy (unless you’re rich and hell-bent on recreating it), the Korean electronics giant assembled the most spectacular TV showcase at its CES booth for the third time in a row. This year, attendees were treated to the “Massive Curve of Nature” as they entered LG’s booth. The massive installation is comprised of over 250 curved LG OLED TVs and, just holy shit, you need to see a video of it in action.

Computers

Dell XPS 13 (2019)

There wasn’t much Dell needed to tweak to its popular XPS 13 laptop. The biggest change on the XPS 13 (2019) is the repositioned webcam, which is on the top bezel where it rightfully belongs. Otherwise, the XPS 13’s virtually the same with thin display bezels, a nice keyboard and trackpad, plenty of ports, though it's also upgraded with faster Intel 8th-gen chips.

Razer Blade 15 Advanced Edition

Razer’s Blade 15 Advanced Edition is hands-down one of the least obnoxious (and one of the most powerful) gaming laptops announced at CES 2019. Compared to the regular Blade 15, the Advanced Edition has a few notable upgrades including NVIDIA’s ridiculously powerful RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080 discrete graphics, support for up to 64GB of storage, better speakers, and has a webcam that works with Windows Hello sign-in support. So much power in such a compact clamshell seems impossible, but Razer’s pulled it off.

Samsung Notebook 9 Pro (2019)

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 2 and Huawei’s MateBook X Pro took home our picks for best laptops of 2018, but Samsung’s coming in hot in 2019. Its chiseled Notebook 9 Pro (2019) not only looks good, but has the power, ports, tactical keyboard, responsive trackpad, and thin display bezels to compete with the best coming out this year. Might 2019 be the year Samsung gets serious about laptops?

Wearables

Withings Move ECG

Apple made everyone start caring more about their health with the Apple Watch Series 4 and its ECG app. But what if you want an ECG but don’t want an Apple Watch? Withing’s ECG Move has you covered. The analog smartwatch give you an ECG readout at a fraction of the price ($130) of an Apple Watch to help you keep better tabs on your heart health. Sure, it doesn’t have a touchscreen or any way to send you notifications, but less is sometimes more.

VR

Oculus Quest

Facebook-owned Oculus’s third VR headset, the Quest, launches in the spring and boy is it unreal. Promising to offer a “near Oculus Rift-like” experience without the clunkiness of a gaming PC or wires, the Quest and its sleek all-in-one design and hand-tracking controller technology could be the easy-to-use VR headset we’ve all been waiting for. Plus, at $399, it’s not unreasonably priced.

HTC Vive Pro Eye

A year after releasing the Vive Pro, HTC’s gearing up to launch the Vive Pro Eye. The improved VR headset is its first to come with built-in eye-tracking for “gaze-oriented menu navigation.” In other words: You can navigate menus just by looking at them instead of using motion-based hand wand controllers. For now, HTC’s targeting more business use-cases, but here’s hoping more consumer-oriented content creators show interest.

Transportation

Valeo Voyage

What if there was a way to essentially ride in a car as if you’re a passenger in the backseat without actually being in the vehicle? Valeo’s Voyage concept is a VR experience that lets the driver talk and “see” a passenger who’s actually remote and has connected through a VR headset. With a headset on, the remote passenger’s basically teleported into the car. It’s a little goofy, but It’s another way companies are using modern technology to connect people even when they can’t physically be together.

Other

Impossible Burger 2.0

Everyone knows Impossible’s totally delicious not-meat-but-tastes-like-real-meat burgers are a marvel in food engineering. At CES, Impossible Foods unveiled the Impossible Burger 2.0. What’s new? First, the vegan plant-based beef patty is made of soy protein instead of wheat protein, resulting in no hormones, less fat, and zero cholesterol. It also makes it gluten-free. Second, It’s delicious. The end.

Ledger Nano X

This one’s for all the cryptocurrency geeks. From the makers of the popular Ledger Nano S crypto currency wallet comes an upgraded version: the Nano X. Compared to the Nano S, the flash drive-sized Nano X has Bluetooth connectivity allowing for users to connect it to their computers and phones wirelessly to send and receive cryptocurrency. If you haven’t already dumped all your Bitcoin, this little guy might be just the right toy for you crypto junkies.

AirPlay for smart TVs

Apple doesn’t have an official presence at CES, but it still knows how to make an unofficial splash at the tech event. No product announcements, but Apple surprised everyone by opening up AirPlay support for third-party smart TVs. Owners of supported smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Vizio, and Sony will soon be able to wirelessly stream over content from their iOS and Mac devices. AirPlay was once exclusive to Apple, but this year, it’s unbuttoning it’s finally jacket.